Online Branding: How to Effectively Sell Yourself (Career-Wise)
Everything from the shoes on your feet to the coffee that you drink is branded, and now thanks to social media so too are you. Be on the cutting edge of change and learn how to market yourself by reading up on some personal branding tips, to help you land the job of your dreams.
Career Branding
Set yourself apart from your competitors by creating a professional career brand. Career branding is all about marketing and presenting your skills, accomplishments, experiences and who you are to prospective employers.
Job Title
To market yourself accurately, you need a basepoint – what is your job title? What is it that you do within your profession? If you are not exactly sure how to label your skillset ask a colleague what they think your role is. It’s best not to use a vague job title, you want to be specific – you’re not just a manager, you’re a sales manager.
Building up Your Brand
It can be effective to have a mission statement, it takes your job title that step further by then highlighting your relevant skills and experiences. This will provide focus in terms of showcasing your skillset. Part of building your brand is crafting a resume to reflect your professional profile – who you are, skills, experiences and noteworthy achievements. Your resume is a snapshot of your work experience and should correlate to the brand you are building for yourself. Stick to five relevant target statements to prove your job title.
Social Media
Now it’s time to spread the word. Capitalizing on social media is one of the most effective marketing tools at your disposal. The top three career building sites to use are LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. You’ll want to maintain fluidity between all the sites and your resume – any deviation will only send mixed messages.
Once you’ve jumpstarted your social media presence – network. Join groups on Facebook and other such sites where people of your profession gather to fact share. There is no better way to stay informed and relevant while advertising yourself. Just make sure to join a large group for better exposure; small groups are less likely to gain your budding brand the kind of recognition you need. Can’t find a group for your area of expertise? – Create one. Advertise your group in like-minded groups to help gain more members.
Recruiters frequent industry groups, always on the lookout for fresh talent, so don’t forget to remain professional at all times! You don’t want to encounter an opportunity of a lifetime but be denied it, because of past commentary. So keep things unpolitical, on topic, professional and polite, so you never miss an opportunity.
Create an Online Presence to Market Your Brand for Greater Career Success
Remain current in a competitive market by promoting your personal career brand by launching your online presence. Don’t get left behind because you’re traditional. Stay with the curve and grow your brand by harnessing the power of social media to increase your audience and maximize your chances of scoring your perfect position.